


Homecoming

by Kittleskittle



Series: Peregrinations [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Autumn, Bisexuality, Corn Mazes, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, Mild Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pumpkins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27361858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittleskittle/pseuds/Kittleskittle
Summary: After successfully completing the Appalachian Trail but before heading home to Colorado, Nil and Aloy make a stop in Pennsylvania, where Nil will reunite with the father he hasn't seen in eight years.A fall-themed short story set in the Peregrinations universe featuring corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and more!
Relationships: Aloy/Nil (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Series: Peregrinations [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998502
Comments: 17
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

The rental car was bouncing. Again.

With a sigh, Aloy turned her head from where she had been gazing out over the rolling autumnal hills of central Pennsylvania and looked her fiance over. His eyes were focused on the road, but his jaw was clamped shut so tightly she could see the muscles twitching, and his fingers were hooked around the steering wheel in a death grip. One long leg, the one that wasn't occupied with the pedals, was shaking violently - the source of the bouncing.

"Nil?"

"Hm?" He spared her a quick, distracted glance.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Aloy pursed her lips. "Yeah, remember that whole communication thing we talked about back in Maine? That applies to you too, you know."

"I've already told you, sweetheart," he replied tersely. "I don't want to beat a dead horse."

"You're right. I think you're more likely to beat this car to death with your foot," Aloy muttered.

"How many variations of 'I'm nervous about meeting up with my father who I haven't seen in eight years' do you want to hear?"

"All of them," she answered immediately. "Until you start to feel better."

Nil's usual crooked smile twitched on his lips. "And this is exactly why I love you so much."

The thrill she got from him saying those words hadn't yet died away, but Aloy tamped down her reaction this time. "I love you too, but don't deflect. I want to talk about this."

"I'm honestly not sure what to say." He frowned deeply. "It's all extremely irrational. I already spoke with him on the phone, and I know what to expect. Meeting in person is just..."

"Different," Aloy supplied. "More intense, less detached."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Did you warn him you were bringing another person along?"

"Of course. He would've been beyond pissed otherwise. I told him that my incredibly beautiful, amazingly talented, wickedly smart fiancee Aloy Sobeck was coming along to meet him."

"Charmer," she mumbled, sliding down in her seat as her cheeks flushed.

Nil shot her a sly glance. "You know we're going to have to sleep in separate beds, right?"

That had Aloy straightening up again. "What? Are you serious? But we're _engaged_."

"And my old man is the very traditional, by the book type," he sighed. "Trust me, I'm not going to enjoy having to sneak into the guest room like I'm 16 again either."

"Don't you think we should respect the rules? It's his house, after all."

"Nah. I think he expects it, honestly. Besides, how could I _ever_ bear to be apart from such a gorgeous women, even for a single night?"

"Nil, we're not having sex in your dad's house," she said flatly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

" _No_."

"We'll see," he hummed in a sing-songy voice. "I can be very convincing, you know."

Instead of dignifying that with a response, Aloy stared back out the window. And slapped his hand away when it landed on her knee and wandered up her thigh.

She could tell they were close when Nil tensed up again, this time so much that she knew there was nothing she could say to help. Sure enough, they soon slowed, then pulled into a long driveway leading to a meticulously maintained farmhouse surrounded on three sides by pasture lands.

"Well," he exhaled. "For better or for worse, we're here. The ol' homestead."

Gravel crunched beneath the tires as they came to a stop in front of a weathered old barn, and the front door to the house flew open. A man with grey hair and a full goatee stepped out onto the porch and down the stairs, before planting himself in the front yard and crossing his arms over his chest. 

The anxiety radiating off of Nil was palpable. The car jerked forward when he eased his foot off the brakes, unable to keep from staring at his father, and that was when Aloy realized he hadn't actually put the car into park. Lunging forward, she grabbed the shifter between them and did it herself.

"Jesus," she hissed. 

"Sorry," Nil mumbled, still keeping his eyes locked in place.

All of her irritation melted away, and Aloy reached over to place a calming hand on his arm. "Do you need me to stay in here at first? I'm okay with giving you two some time."

"No." He shook his head vehemently. "No, you're family now. I want you by my side when I face this."

Despite the situation, warmth suffused through her chest, and she gave a tight nod. "All right. Ready when you are."

As if in a trance, Nil unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly unlatched the driver's side door. For once, Aloy followed his lead and went at his pace, cognizant of the fact that his mental state was very fragile at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to add to the myriad of heavy emotions he was already facing.

Once he managed to exit, so did she, and they walked the few paces over to Nil's father. Silver eyes the same as Nil's bored into him, and Aloy quietly exhaled in relief when she saw that they were kind and held no judgement.

"Hi, dad," Nil breathed beside her.

"Sahad." His father's voice was precise but wavered with untold amounts of emotion. "Welcome home, son."

"It's, ah, really good to see you," he replied hoarsely, shoving his shaking hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"You too, kid." 

The two stared at each other for several long moments, until the older man's eyes flitted to Aloy. "And you must be Aloy. It's wonderful to finally meet you."

"Um, yes, sir. Hi." There was no avoiding the awkwardness of the situation, but she did her best to muscle past it.

A very familiar smile settled on his lips. "Please, call me Ligan. I understand I have you to thank for bringing Sahad back home."

"What?" she blurted out, sending a furtive glance to Nil. Most of the tension had leeched out of his shoulders, and he shot her a lopsided grin.

"Aw, don't be humble, sweetheart," he drawled, hooking an arm around her waist. "It's true."

"I...I guess?"

Ligan's eyes danced with humor, and Aloy felt as though she were seeing double. "Well, I'm relieved to see that you haven't changed much, Sahad. Enough talking, though. Why don't we head inside? I'm sure you kids are hungry after an early flight and driving all the way up from Baltimore, so I made some lunch. Come on in."

While Ligan made his way up the porch stairs and back into his house, Aloy leaned over and hissed, "Seriously, Nil? Way to put me on the spot."

"It wasn't a lie, little huntress," Nil murmured, bending to press a kiss on her temple. "You really were the one who gave me the courage to face him again."

Somewhat mollified and with only mild grumbling, Aloy let him lead her into the farmhouse. The inside was as neat as the outside, and the homey smell of old wood and plaster filled her nose. Old family pictures were scattered over the walls, and she grinned to herself when she caught a glimpse of one very chunky baby.

Nil kicked his shoes off and placed them neatly on a laid out mat, and Aloy followed suit. It was easy to shut off and make herself as invisible as possible like she usually did in situations such as these, but she was determined to make a good impression on her future father-in-law.

She followed him deeper into the house, where it suddenly opened up into an airy kitchen done up mostly in white. Laid out on an island in the center of the room was an impressive spread of meats, cheeses, fruits, potato salad, and oddly enough, two gallons of chocolate milk. Which got Nil's attention immediately.

Ligan shifted his weight. "I wasn't sure if you still liked chocolate milk as much as you did as a kid, but it's from your favorite dairy - "

Nil cut him off with a delighted moan. "Fuck, I haven't had that in _years_ \- "

"Language, Sahad."

"Yes, sir." Aloy had never seen her fiance wilt so instantly, not even with Uthid at the diner, and it took every ounce of strength she possessed not to break down in hysterics.

Instead, she focused on his father. "Ligan, thank you, this looks fantastic. You didn't need to do this much."

"Ah, but it's not everyday I get to meet my son's future wife," he said, tilting his head with a slight smile. "Now go ahead, get something to eat. Did you want something besides milk to drink?"

"I think I'll try the milk," Aloy replied, plucking a paper plate from a stack on the island. 

Nil grabbed an entire gallon, twisted open the cap, and took a swig right there. A look which could only be described as euphoric softened his features into a dream-like state. "Fu - I mean, god, it's still so _good_. You won't regret it, little huntress."

Ligan leaned over to Aloy and stage-whispered, "This is why I always buy two gallons."

As she laughed and went to pick out her lunch, Aloy managed to relax the rest of the way. She was finding herself very much enjoying Ligan's company and coming to the realization that she had nothing to worry about. He was like Nil in a lot of ways, if not a little more straight-laced, but the kindness and biting sense of humor was there. 

Settling down at the kitchen table beside her fiance, Aloy dug into her food while Ligan explained that almost everything was from local farms - mostly Amish, in fact - but the potato salad was an old family recipe. It was all delicious, and she considered for a brief moment the logistics of moving here instead of going back to Colorado. 

"Still as great as ever, old man," Nil sighed once he had finished, tilting his chair back and patting at his belly. 

His father fixed him with a hard look. "Did all of your manners disintegrate over the past several years?"

"Forgive me for not keeping up with my manners in active combat," Nil replied dryly.

Intense pain flashed over Ligan's weathered face for a brief second, but he smoothed it over carefully.

Aloy winced. Well, that had been nice while it lasted.

"Sahad - "

"Well, I'm done, so how about a tour of the house?" Nil said loudly, pushing away from the table and standing. When he looked down at Aloy, his eyes were full of pleading.

Ligan seemed to recover well enough, and he stood himself. "I made sure to change the sheets in the guest bedroom for Aloy, and the ones in your old room."

"That's a nice thought, but you know I'll be sleeping with her anyway," Nil replied breezily.

"I know you haven't been around for a long time," Ligan began, "but you still need to respect the rules in this house. Separate beds until you're actually married. It's only a few nights, son."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because all hell broke loose.

"Yeah, great, a few nights," he snarled. "Let me just tell my motherfucking PTSD to hold off."

His father's mouth fell open, then snapped shut like a steel trap.

"Oh yeah, didn't think that one through, did you?" Nil laughed hysterically, scraping his fingers through his hair. "Let's not even talk about how that's taken another hit recently, because I had to watch Aloy here be almost _strangled to death in front of me_."

Ligan went white as a sheet. Nil turned back to where Aloy was still seated at the table.

"Come on, Aloy. We're going to go find a hotel tonight and fly out to Colorado in the morning." His eyes, so cold they could have been mistaken for sheets of ice, stayed locked on his father when he added, "Because apparently, this was a mistake."

"No." Aloy folded her arms over her chest, fixing him with a defiant glare. Some of the anger on Nil's face quelled, but before he could get in another word, she snapped, "What, are you going to throw another tantrum? At me, this time? Sit. Down."

A burst of panic flared over his face, but he complied, sinking back into the chair beside her. Immediately, her hand covered his, and she began to rub calming circles into it with her thumb.

"Let's talk about this rationally without all of the yelling. Okay?" Aloy said softly.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Sahad," Ligan said weakly. "I wasn't aware. I knew about the PTSD, but I suppose I didn't think through what that meant."

Nil was quiet for a moment, and Aloy's hold on his hand tightened. "Paranoia. Increased temper, which you just experienced. Heightened startle reflex. Sensitivity to loud noises. Flashbacks. And of course, night terrors. I have every last one of those symptoms. This is my life now."

Ligan sat back down himself and buried his face in his hands.

"But I'm sorry too, dad." Tears were shining in his eyes, so she dropped his hand and instead snaked an arm between his back and the backrest of the chair, dropping her head to his shoulder. "You have no idea how much I _loathe_ all of this. I got upset because Aloy's presence is the only thing that holds back the nightmares, and even then it's not perfect. I know it's not ideal, it's just a stop gap until I get back into therapy." He took a breath. "If you need us to sleep separately, though...I guess I can deal with it. I did it for years before her anyway, and I'm going to need to start doing it again for awhile when we go home to Colorado."

"I think we can compromise here," Ligan spoke up. When he lifted his head, he looked as though he had aged another ten years. "Your mother would have hated this, God rest her soul, but I can live with you two sleeping in the same bed together. Just - try to be respectful."

"No sex in the house. Got it."

"Nil!" Aloy squeaked.

Ligan frowned. "Nil?" 

"Oh, it's uh, his trail name," she explained hastily. "It's what I started out calling him, and it stuck, so I guess it's just a nickname now."

"Ah." The older man sat back and drummed his fingers on the table. "Speaking of which, could someone please explain to me why Aloy was being strangled?"

"That's a very long story," Nil mused, "but I suppose you already know a lot of the background information from our phone call."

"Clearly I need to catch up on a lot," Ligan replied with a rueful smile. "Because when we initially spoke, you told me that you two had broken up. Then I get a phone call a few days ago that you were stopping by for a few days with your fiancee."

So Nil told him everything, with Aloy chiming in at the relevant parts. The fury in Ligan's face when they spoke about how Helis had almost killed his son as well was eerily familiar to her. Despite their differences, there was more about the two men that was the same, and she wondered - not for the first time - what being out of contact with Nil had been like for his father. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he would cope in a similar situation, other than a very general 'not well'.

"This man," Ligan said slowly. "He's going to prison for a very long time, right?"

Nil snorted. "He confessed to everything immediately, and that's probably why we're not still held up in Maine arguing that Aloy hamstringing him was in self-defense. We'll have to fly back eventually to testify at his trial, but I think it's safe to say he won't be harming anyone else."

"Good. That's good." The older man's attention shifted to Aloy. "I have a lot more to thank you for than I first believed, it would seem."

She flushed. "You really don't need to. I was just doing what anyone would for someone they love."

To her surprise, Ligan threw back his head and laughed. "Sahad really was right. You're far too humble for your own good. You save my son's life, and you act as though that's nothing special." 

"Isn't she something?" Nil smiled down at her fondly, and even more blood rose to her cheeks.

"Indeed." Ligan's smile was identical. "She'll make a fine daughter."

Despite the fact that Aloy wanted to sink down into her chair and maybe disappear in response to all of the positive attention suddenly being thrown her way, she knew she couldn't. Most of the rough edges between father and son felt like they had finally been smoothed down, and she wasn't about to make it worse again.

"I appreciate that," she replied softly, glancing Nil's way. "I think I'm looking forward to being a true part of this family."

Seeming to sense that Aloy had hit her limit of being the center of attention, Nil stood up from the table again, albeit this time a lot more slowly.

"Now, how about I give you the tour of this old place?"

Giving them a wave, Ligan bent over the table to grab their empty plates. "You kids go ahead. I'll clean up here."

Manners instilled in her by Rost had Aloy asking, "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"How kind of you to offer. No, no. I'll be fine." A sly look crossed his face. "Unless you want to help Sahad brush up on his own manners."

Rolling his eyes, Nil grabbed Aloy's hand and helped her up from her chair. "Don't give her any ideas. Come on, sweetheart."

After he showed her a cozy living room and where the first floor bathroom was, the couple headed up the stairs and down a long hallway, Nil pausing at the second door on the right. His eyes were far away when she glanced up at him curiously.

"My bedroom," he murmured. "I'm not sure if he's done any remodeling, but..."

His Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, Nil pushed the door open.

When she peered inside, Aloy's first reaction was startled laughter.

"Oh my god, it's like a time capsule in here!"

"Well, that answers that question," Nil sighed. 

Posters of bands popular in the late 90s plastered every available inch of the walls, which were painted in an alarming shade of bright red. A desk covered in old spiral bound notebooks and binders sat in one corner, and a modest twin sized bed covered in a patchwork quilt of reds and golds sat in the other. Aloy wandered through the small room, soaking in every little detail of Nil's teenage angst. 

"So," Aloy started conversationally, leaning forward to inspect posters of both scantily clad women and men, "were you aware that you were violently bisexual or was that something that came later?"

Smirking, Nil shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced over the posters himself. "Oh yeah. I became aware of that soon after I hit puberty. Went through the typical 'I'm totally gay' phase for a few months, realized the idea of never seeing a girl shirtless was horrifying, rebounded back into 'I'm 100% straight', then eventually accepted myself. See that cornfield out the window there?"

"Yeah?"

"I used to take whoever I was sweet on at the time out there and fool around." He heaved a wistful sigh. "Lost my virginity in that corn."

Aloy couldn't help it; she lost all of her composure and began to to laugh so hard that tears instantly sprang to her eyes. Doubling over, she clutched at her aching stomach, hardly able to breathe. Nil only raised an eyebrow at her, waiting patiently for her to finish.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, wiping away a few escaped tears, "but holy shit, Nil, you're such a redneck."

His response came in the form of a shrug. "Never denied it." Taking a few steps forward, he circled both his arms around her waist and pulled her flush up against him. With a much thicker accent than his usual mild drawl, he said, "If you'd like, little lady, we can go have a roll in the hay loft later."

"Oh no," Aloy wheezed, shaking her head wildly. "I'm not fucking you in a barn. You're not converting me."

"Why not?" he pouted, keeping up his obnoxious accent and nuzzling his nose into her neck. "It's a helluva lot of fun, and not tech'nically against the rules. The worst thing that might happen is you getting some straw in some mighty unpleasant places."

"Okay, I'm _definitely_ not risking getting straw stuck in my ass."

"We'll see about that," he said, drawing back a bit. "After a day without any of this" - he gestured to his body - "you'll be begging for it."

"I have self control," she sniffed, poking him in the chest. "You should try it out sometime."

"Where would be the fun in that?" 

Standing on her toes, Aloy silenced him with a kiss. It was meant to nothing more than a quick peck, but ever the opportunist, Nil held her in place while he deepened it. She allowed it for a few seconds, sighing against him and clutching at his shirt as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sparks ignited in her belly, sending a hot rush of wanting straight to her core, and it only flared more when her fiance's hands slid gradually from her waist down to her back packets, cupping and kneading her ass through her pants. When he dragged her even closer, to the point where she could feel the full length of his cock straining against his jeans, she broke the kiss with a startled gasp.

"Yeah," Nil chuckled, leaning his forehead against her own and gazing at her through mischievous eyes, "you're not going to last."

Flustered beyond the point of speech, Aloy only managed a weak glare. She didn't want to give him any hint that she might actually be starting to agree with his assessment.

 _Why does he have to be so convincing?_ she thought sulkily as he lead her on a tour through the rest of the second floor. _God, I have to be the only woman on earth upset about my fiance being too hot._

"I did have something else I wanted to show you," Nil said quietly, once they had reached a room he explained had once been his mother's craft and sewing room. Aloy got the hint that this was something more serious, and she straightened up.

"What is it?"

Somberly, Nil walked to a drafting table swamped with precariously stacked bolts of fabric. Opening a drawer, he pulled a paper and more fabric out of it, stared at the items for a moment, then turned back to Aloy. When he held out the paper for her, she realized it wasn't a paper at all - but a picture.

"My mom," he exhaled. "Dad took down most of the pictures of her when she died because it hurt too much, but he still kept them."

Aloy nodded mutely and examined the photo. A grinning, stunningly gorgeous woman sat on a couch in a room she recognized as the living room downstairs, but styled more for the time period it was clearly taken in. Light brown skin, large, dark brown eyes, and long hair as black and as shiny as ink spilling down over her shoulders. And in her lap, a beaming, lanky boy no older than 3 or 4, whose eyes were piercing even then.

"Oh, she was beautiful," Aloy whispered, brushing her fingers over the glossy paper. "And you were so small. And cute."

Tentatively glancing back up at Nil, she was relieving to find him smirking again. "What, I'm not cute anymore?"

"Nah, too much of a pain in the ass," she teased, but quieted when his smile faltered.

"This..." His grip on the bundle of fabric on his hands tightened. "When mom got sick, I think she knew she wasn't going to make it, even when the doctors were optimistic. She had always loved all kinds of crafts, but quilting especially, and this was one of her last projects."

Unfurling the curiously small quilt, he lifted it up for Aloy to see. The patches, in tones of white, purple, blue, and pink, were carefully arranged in a broken star pattern, and the effect made for a sweet, lovely little blanket.

"It was meant" - Nil cleared his throat - "it was meant to be a baby blanket for her grandchildren. For my kids."

She stared at it, running her fingers over the angular pattern.

"I know we haven't even talked about kids, and if you don't want them in the future, that's okay." He clutched the blanket to his chest. "But I'd still like to take this home with me, because I don't...I don't have a lot to remind me of her. One of my biggest regrets was leaving it behind when dad and I had our falling out."

With a small smile, Aloy closed her hand over his. "I think we can do that. We've got a ways to go before we're ready, but kids are something I'd love down the road. And they deserve to have something from their grandmother too."

The depth of emotion shimmering in Nil's eyes had her kissing him again, but this time it stayed soft and sweet. She lingered there, her lips moving gently over his, for a couple of minutes, bringing her fingers to his face and silently wiping away the few tears that rolled down it. When they parted, he whispered a thank you.

"Do you know why I severed ties with my dad?" he asked after a few minutes, still holding Aloy close.

"I remember you told me it was about you enlisting."

"And it was, but there was a lot more to it than that." Nil shut his eyes. "Mom was first generation Iranian-American. Once 9/11 happened, well...I'm sure you remember what it was like after. It's fucked up that I'm glad that she didn't have to deal with that on account of being dead, but I did from the people who knew my background or learned my name. I guess I felt like I had to prove that I wasn't a terrorist, whatever the fuck that even means."

Aloy rested her head against his chest quietly, allowing him to speak without interruption.

"Dad obviously didn't take that decision well, and I don't blame him. His exact words were, I believe, 'you're spitting on your mother's grave'. I was really angry, so that was the final straw for me. That night, I packed my bags and left to stay at a friend's house until boot camp. Looking back, though, I realize that he was scared for me, and for very good reason."

"You're right. I was afraid. But that didn't make it right."

Lifting her head from Nil's chest, her gaze shot to the door, where Ligan was leaning against the door.

"I thought I'd find you up here."

She could see Nil swallow. "Yeah, uh, just grabbing that baby blanket mom made."

"She'd be thrilled," he replied with a faint smile. "Aiyla would have been so happy to see that you'd found someone like Aloy."

"She also would have whooped my ass for some of the dumb mistakes I made," he muttered under his breath.

"Anyway, I came up here to ask if you two would like to head over to Flinchbaugh's to help me pick out some pumpkins for the house. If you're too tired and would rather stay, that's fine too."

"If Aloy and I can do the corn maze." Nil's eyes were shining with delight.

"I don't see why not," Ligan replied.

"What's a corn maze?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Actually, what is it with you and corn in general?"

"It's a maze. Made of corn," he deadpanned.

" _Nil_."

"That's really all there is to it. The one at Flinchbaugh's is enormous, though, and actually a challenge. You get a map and need to find all of the stamps in the maze. It's a good way to kill a couple of hours."

"Why not?" Aloy said with a shrug. "It doesn't sound horrible, actually."

Nil pumped his fist, an enormous grin plastered over his face. "Yes!" 

Giving him an exasperated sigh, she followed her fiance and his father out of the room and back downstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CW: Homophobia, biphobia**

The ride was fairly short. They meandered their way through rolling hills and past more golden farmland in Ligan's sturdy old truck, eventually pulling into a cutesy-looking farmer's market surrounded by fat, bright pumpkins and barrels of crisp-looking apples. The spicy scent of warm cider hung in the chilly air, and Aloy resolved to find the source once they were done.

"You kids go have fun," Ligan said with a wave once they had gotten out of the car. "And take your time. No rush."

Like an excited little kid, Nil grabbed Aloy's hand and made a beeline towards the back of the market building. A massive cornfield surrounded by ropes and colorful flags soon came into view, with a stand at the front of it where a blonde man was taking payment from a slowly moving line of people. 

Nil bounced on the balls of his feet while they queued up. "I haven't been able to do this since high school, and I missed it every year I was stationed out in California."

Aloy looked him over fondly. Even she had to admit that he was pretty cute like this, and seeing him so happy after a rollercoaster of an afternoon was a refreshing sight.

"Next!"

They approached the table, Nil reaching back to take out his wallet. "Yeah, hi, just two for the corn maze."

The man paused, then squinted at him. "Hey, didn't we go to high school together?"

Nil went still for a moment but then seemed to compose himself. He continued to work on fishing some cash out of his wallet. "Maybe."

The other man's eyes widened. "Shit, yeah! Sahad Argent, right?"

"Yup," Nil replied shortly, handing him the entry fee. "Bast, right?

Bast's gaze drifted to Aloy, his lips twisting with a smirk, and she suddenly felt deeply uncomfortable. Instinctively, her arm curled around Nil's.

"And who's this pretty thing?" His blue eyes dragged over her as though he could see straight through her clothes.

Nil tensed, then slowly stretched to his full height. "My fiancee."

"Seriously?" Bast chortled. "No way. I thought you were one of them queers. Quit lying."

Pure, unadulterated rage tore through Aloy, and before she even registered what she was doing, she bent and scooped up one of the numerous pieces of gravel lying around.

"Aloy, it's all right, sweetheart," Nil murmured in her ear when she straightened up, stroking at her lower back. "It's not worth it."

"Hey, since he's probably gonna ditch you for a dude anyway, why don't you come hang with me?" Bast said, leaning over the table with a wink. "You're too gorgeous for this fa- "

"If you so much as look in my direction again," Aloy interrupted calmly, her grip on the tiny rock tightening, "I'll rip your miniscule balls off and feed them to you for dinner. Got it?"

Bast recoiled, his face contorted with disgust. "Yeah, on second thought, nah. You're probably some kind of lesbian or something."

"Keep the change," Aloy snapped, tugging Nil in the direction of the maze entrance. 

Once they were inside and out of sight from Bast, Nil turned to Aloy and brought both of his hands to her face.

"I'm sorry, little huntress," he said, his face full of concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she huffed, glancing back towards the entrance. "Just beyond pissed off right now."

"Don't let him get to you or ruin the day." His thumbs grazed over her cheeks, and Aloy reached up to grip his wrists to center herself. "He's always been a cowardly little shit. Tried to bully me back in high school, ran away crying once I beat the shit out of him. I'm honestly surprised he didn't try to pull the scary terrorist angle this time."

"God, I'm sorry, Sahad."

He shrugged wearily. "That's just how it is in small towns like this, Aloy. Racism and homophobia and every other kind of bigotry you can think of, everywhere you turn. It's something I hopefully won't have to deal with as much in a metro area."

"If anyone tries to start anything with you again, I've always got your back," she promised fiercely. "I mean it."

"I know you do," Nil grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead then separating. "You're gonna make a hell of a wife, Aloy. Now, come on. Let's go. I think I can help take your mind off this."

Hand in hand, they grabbed a map and stamp book from a stand, then began to walk deeper into the maze. Although there had been a line, Nil explained that the maze was so large and labyrinthine that people spread out over it relatively quickly, leaving them alone. They had only made it to a single dead end before he glanced around furtively, then tightened his hold on her hand, ducked under the rope at the edges, and dragged her into a row of corn.

"Nil - " she gasped.

"I told you I wanted to take your mind off this. Now, hush," he whispered, before closing the distance between them for a searing kiss.

The moan she gave and the way she immediately arched into him were involuntary, but her snaking her hands up and winding her fingers through his short hair was not. His body was wonderfully solid and warm against her own, and was a little bit of kissing _really_ the worst thing in the world right now? Truthfully, it was a good way to take out her frustrations with how a lot of the day had gone.

Sliding his hands down her backside, Nil hooked them under her thighs before hoisting her up, and Aloy automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, shoving her tongue into his mouth at the same time. He tasted wonderful, the friction of him grinding into her was divine even through two layers of clothing, and she knew she had to get a hold of herself before this went too far.

To her utmost surprise, after a few more minutes of frantic kissing and pawing at each other, it was Nil who cut things off, and she found herself actually upset about it this time.

"Fuck, sweetheart," Nil groaned, dropping his lips to her neck. "I want you so badly. But not here."

Aloy had to grit her teeth as he carefully lowered her back down. "Yeah...I...you're right."

"Oh, did I work someone up?" he purred, giving her a quick nip that had a shudder vibrating through her. "Just so you know, my offer still stands for when we get back to the house."

Rather than admit how appealing that was starting to sound, Aloy instead readjusted her rumpled clothing and stalked back into the maze with a disgruntled huff. Nil didn't say anything, but the smirk on his face already said enough.

At least it was easy to get her mind off of her raging libido by focusing on solving the maze. It was equal parts hilarious and amazing to her how well their months of hiking together translated to an activity like this - as they had on the Appalachian Trail, the couple worked together as seamlessly as a well-oiled machine, marking off dead ends and collecting the Halloween-themed stamps at an impressive clip.

So impressive, in fact, that they managed to finish in under an hour.

"Gotta say I'm impressed, little huntress," Nil commented, slinging an arm over her shoulder as they headed back to the market building Thankfully, Bast was nowhere to be seen. "We blasted through my previous solo record of an hour and ten. And the way you puzzled out getting to the bat stamp? Clever."

"That's because you need me," Aloy said primly. 

She hadn't meant it to be any deeper than a light joke, but the way Nil's face softened as he smiled still had her chest flooding with warmth.

"Yeah, I do. And I'm a very lucky man that you decided to stick with me," he said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Let's go redeem these stamps for some cider."

Her eyes widened. "That's a thing?"

"Yup!"

"Oh, yes," Aloy moaned. "I've been smelling that since we got here."

"Careful making noises like that in public," Nil muttered, his eyes dark. "I might just have to jump you right here."

She shot him a lopsided, coy grin. "And I might just have to let you."

Nil gaped at her. Before he could say anything, she wrestled out from underneath his arm and bolted for the market, grinning even wider when she heard him curse and sprint after her.

Ligan was standing just inside holding an enormous pumpkin under each arm and talking to a middle-aged man when Aloy breathlessly entered. Nil popped in right behind her, giving her a light (and admittedly discreet) tap on the ass, to which she promptly turned and glared.

"Ah, there they are," Ligan piped up, angling his head in their direction. "Earlier than I expected. Sahad, you remember Gildun, right?"

The other man, Gildun, turned to face them. Clad in a trapper hat and a full parka despite there only being a mild nip to the air, his smile was enormous.

"Well, hey there! You were a lot younger the last time I saw you!"

"Gildun," Nil said politely with a nod. His arm went around her. "This is my fiancee, Aloy."

"Nice to meet you," she added, holding out her hand.

Gildun took it and shook it enthusiastically. "I've heard a lot about you! You're even prettier than Ligan said you were!"

She did everything in her power to _not_ blush this time, but it happened anyway. Gildun seemed nice enough, if a tad on the exuberant side. "Um, thank you."

"Well, I've got to make a run into town to drop a couple things off at the shop!" he said brightly. "I'll catch you later, Ligan! Nice seeing youse!"

"Well, he's really nice. And excitable," Aloy remarked after the man had left.

"He's an old family friend," Nil explained. "Runs an antique shop and is absolutely obsessed with finding new items."

Her gaze snapped hungrily to her fiance. "We _have_ to go check that out. You know how much I love antiquing."

"All right, little huntress," he replied with a shrug. "Maybe tomorrow before we head out."

"Are you two about ready?" Ligan asked in a strained voice, shifting the pumpkins in his arms.

"Sh - I mean, crap, here dad. Let me take one of those." Nil grabbed one of the huge gourds, hefting it effortlessly under an arm. "And yeah, just let us grab our free cider."

Styrofoam cups of cider in hand, the group made their way back to the truck, loading up the pumpkins before climbing in. Aloy inhaled the cider before even taking a sip, sighing when the scent of juicy apples and fragrant cinnamon blanketed her. It was the perfect end to a fun little trip - despite some bumps in the road - and she was honestly glad they had gone along with Ligan. 

Out on the trail, her and Nil hadn't really had the time or energy to do anything like this, and with a frown she realized that this was probably their first actual date. No mileage to strive for, no gear to worry about, no bone deep exhaustion; just enjoying each other and a silly activity. Flitting her eyes up to where he sat in the front seat, she decided to plan more dates when they got settled in back in Colorado Springs. Normalcy seemed relatively foreign to him, but she was determined to give him that along with as much structure as she could. It's not like dates were a common thing for her either, but with going back to real life and having to live separately until some undetermined time, it would be their new normal in terms of how they interacted.

By the time they got back to the farmhouse, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Nil helped Ligan haul the pumpkins into the house and on to the dining room table, at which point the older man put his hands on his hips and turned to them.

"I'm going to get dinner started, but in the meantime, did you two want to carve these pumpkins?"

"Abso-lute-ly," Nil enunciated. "Still keep the carving supplies in the same place?"

"I do indeed," Ligan confirmed.

While Nil ran upstairs to grab those, Aloy helped Ligan spread newspaper over the smooth wooden surface, then placed the pumpkins on top. He then headed into the kitchen, and she worried at her lip while she examined them. Arts and crafts had never been something she'd excelled at, preferring the consistency of numbers and more logical fields of study. While there was a sort of creativity involved in environmental engineering, it was obtained more through manipulating numbers and getting them to play nice with practical designs. Carving some kind of silly face or Halloween-related theme into a giant orange gourd was decidedly _not_ that.

Her fiance returned fairly quickly with an arsenal of carving knives and other strange implements Aloy had never seen before. In addition to her lacking a creative spark, holidays hadn't exactly been Rost's thing, so carving a pumpkin was new territory for her.

"So, uh." Aloy gestured at the table. "How do we do this?"

Nil's eyes went huge. "You've never carved a pumpkin before?"

"No." She shifted uncomfortably. "You'll, ah, have to help me out with this one."

"Wow," Nil whistled. "Never thought I'd see the day. The talented, incredibly skilled love of my life finally faced with a challenge she has no idea how to tackle. And yet, I do. Allow me, my love, to guide you - "

"If you don't stop that we're not going to be carving anything," she gritted out. "Except maybe you."

Nil's grin had an edge to it. "Don't threaten me with a good time."

Aloy was _not_ going to dignify that with a response.

To his credit, Nil wasn't condescending or smug when he explained how to cut open the top of the pumpkin and pull out its guts. Her nose wrinkled as her hand plunged into the slimy mess of stringy pulp and seeds. She was just pulling out her first unpleasant handful when her fiance gasped sharply.

Aloy flung her gaze to him, worried that he had cut himself open. "What? What's wrong?"

Nil was staring down at his half-emptied pumpkin as though it held the secret to life itself. Then his eyes panned slowly over to her.

"Pumpkin."

She squinted at him. "Huh? What about it?"

"You." The beginnings of a smirk were blooming on his lips. "You're my pumpkin.

Horror welled up in her. "Don't you _dare_ \- "

"Too late," Nil crowed, reaching out with one sticky hand. Aloy tried to dodge it, but she wasn't fast enough - he touched her hair, several gooey strings of pulp immediately affixing themselves to the strands. "Little pumpkin."

"Nil," she said, very calmly. "If we weren't currently in your father's house - "

"You'd throw me down and fuck the living daylights out of me?" he suggested.

The urge to scream was rising, and that suggestion sounded far too appetizing than it had any right to be, so with a snarl, Aloy returned to disemboweling her pumpkin with a vengeance. She'd clean the nasty mess out of her hair later.

Throughout their carving session, she couldn't help but compare her and Nil's progress. Her fiance had always been better with words and more artistically gifted in general than she ever had, and the stylized, whimsical cat he was carving into his pumpkin was nothing short of amazing to her. In comparison, her own attempt - an extremely generic jack-o'-lantern face - was downright pathetic, especially in light of how the mouth was crooked, the nose was off center, and one eye was alarmingly bigger than the other. 

"Hey, that looks great, pumpkin!" Nil exclaimed, bending towards her and ignoring the look of disgust Aloy sent his way. "Very silly. I like it."

"It's garbage compared to yours," she muttered.

"You know, attempting to be perfect at everything you do is a lot of pressure," he said kindly. "Some things should just be for fun. And I had a lot of fun spending time with you doing this. Didn't you?"

"I guess," Aloy admitted, leaning into his warmth. "Another thing I need to work on. Not everything is a competition."

"You've already won my heart," Nil said gravely. "What else do you need in life?"

She shoved at him, but after a second of thought, wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug and buried her face against his chest so he couldn't see how big her smile was. 

"Hey, you two ready for dinner?" Ligan asked, poking his head through the doorway. 

Dinner was apparently chicken pot pie, although not any kind that Aloy had had before. Rather than chicken, veggies, and gravy in a flaky pie crust, it was more of a pasta dish. The other ingredients were there, but the pie crust was replaced by bowtie pasta, and the gravy was a tad thinner. Ligan explained that it was a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, hence the differences, and apparently one of Nil's favorites. She found herself thoroughly enjoying it, even going back for a second helping alongside her fiance (who must have eaten half the skillet). 

After a few more hours spending time with Ligan in the living room, Nil announced that he was about ready for bed. It was only around 9 pm, but both him and Aloy were still accustomed to going to bed at 8 as they had on the trail, so it felt closer to midnight. Tiredly, she trudged up after him to the guest bedroom - the twin bed in his old bedroom was too small to fit the both of them - and began the process of changing into her pajamas.

She probably should have done it in the bathroom, because as soon as her bra came off, Nil was all over her.

"Hi there, sweetheart," he whispered huskily, pressing a kiss to her neck. Long fingers skimmed over the span of her belly, coming dangerously close to the undersides of her breasts. 

"Nil," Aloy hissed, not as firmly as she would have liked. "You know your dad wanted us to be respectful.

He fluttered his eyelashes at her. "He just didn't want us having sex inside the house. Me appreciating your gorgeous body isn't sex." 

Boldly, he cupped her breasts, a pleased noise slipping from him at her soft moan. "There you go. All I want is to touch you for a little bit, so just relax."

"We really shouldn't be doing this," she said weakly, but Aloy already knew she had lost this one. Especially when his thumbs rolled over her nipples, tightening them in an instant.

"Doesn't that feel good?" Nil's pointer fingers joined his thumbs, and he pinched the tips very lightly. The pleasure from even such a gentle touch rocketed straight to her core, leaving her breathless and pressing into him. 

"Ah, yes," she gasped.

Aloy didn't realize that he was backing her into the bed until the backs of her legs made contact with the springy mattress. She knew she should be putting an end to this, but Nil had wound her so tight throughout the course of the day that it was the farthest thing from her mind. All she wanted in the moment was for him to keep touching her, to keep building up that simultaneously wonderful and frustrating pressure, until maybe she could figure out a way to release it that didn't involve breaking any rules.

So she fell back on to the bed, matching the smouldering heat in his gaze. He was on top of her in an instant, his own shirt having been discarded at some point, and as he bent to kiss and nip at her breasts, Aloy was reminded of a time long ago when all of their play had been like this - all of the building tension, the stopping before it went too far to save themselves for a better place and a better time. 

Although, she wasn't sure she was in possession of as much patience now. The Aloy of the past hadn't yet experienced the sensual feel of Nil's naked body flush with her own, nor the breathtaking pleasure of having his cock between her legs and then inside of her, that sudden stretch that always brought her closer to orgasm than it had any right to.

She had to admit that she very much enjoyed his clever fingers and mouth, though, especially what they were doing right now - his fingertips, rolling and tweaking at her right nipple, the flesh there swollen and reddened; his mouth and tongue, lapping and tugging at the left with his lips, occasionally closing them and sucking with so much vigor Aloy had to close her eyes and throw a hand over her mouth to stifle her cry. The other hand was busy cupping the back of Nil's head, occasionally pulling at his hair - which she knew he loved - when he did something particularly nice.

Without warning, he lifted his head from her. Crawling upwards, his kissed her in an open-mouthed mess of lips and tongue, grinding his very prominent erection down into her at the same time. 

"Do you want me?" he asked lowly, punctuating his question with another hard rock of his hips, to which Aloy was helpless to do anything but groan faintly. "Because I'll fuck you right now, if you really want me to. Just say the word, sweetheart, and I'll give you exactly what you need."

It was with a great deal of regret and pain that Aloy replied, "As much as I want to, you know we can't."

Slumping on top of her, he inhaled very gradually, then exhaled in one big rush. "You...you're right. Fuck. I think I took that one a little too far."

Sympathy had her stroking her fingers over his hair, until the wildness in his eyes calmed and they grew heavy-lidded. "Yeah. You did. But I get why."

"It's just..." He paused, seeming to deliberate on something. "Aloy, when we get back to Colorado and you're done helping me move in, we're not going to be seeing as much of each other."

A massive lump wedged itself in her throat. "I know."

"I know we agreed to work on ourselves separately so we can be the best version of us as possible. But...I'm going to miss being around you like this. A lot." His voice faltered and choked off at the end.

"It's not forever," she whispered. "And we'll see each other on weekends."

Nil's normally easy-going grin was strained. "That's something, I guess."

"If I'm being honest, I don't know if I'm going to last more than a few months living with Rost," she confessed. "But in the meantime...let's do our best in therapy and figuring out how to live a normal life, okay?"

"Okay. I think I can do that." Callused fingertips ran over her hair, then her cheek. "Ready for sleep, little pumpkin?"

Aloy didn't even bother to muster up a glare at the obnoxious endearment this time. "Yeah, I think so."


	3. Chapter 3

It took a surprisingly small amount of time for her to drift away, but then again, the day had been stressful, and Nil was warm and comforting in the way he surrounded her.

Which is probably why, in the dead of the night, she startled out of sleep. Only to find cold sheets beside her.

Gut-wrenching fear curdled in Aloy's gut. Flashes of grey eyes, but not the ones belonging to her fiance - where those were infinitely warm, these were chillingly cold. Her throat tightened, as though gripped at by some invisible hand, and she clutched at it, trying to remember what Nil had taught her in the days after Helis.

_Breathe and count, little huntress. Breathe, and count back from ten. With me, now._

"Ten...n-nine...eight..." she gulped. It was working; the tightness was receding. "Seven...six..."

By the time she hit zero, her mind had cleared enough to register that in Nil's place sat a scrap of paper. Relief soared through her, and she snatched it up.

_Aloy,_

_I couldn't sleep, so I went out to the barn. If you find this before I get back, you're more than welcome to join me._

_Nil_

Going outside and getting some air sounded like a fantastic idea, actually. Taking the comforter with her for warmth, Aloy crept out of the guest bedroom and down the stairs as quietly as she possible could on the creaky wooden floors. Once she was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders, walked the several feet to the barn.

Nil hadn't given her a tour of the entire property, but it was easy enough to figure out how to get into the old building. The barn smelled of oil and old wood, entirely dark inside except for a faint yellow glow up in what looked like the loft.

"Nil?" Aloy called out.

A few seconds later, his head poked out over the ladder leading up to the space.

"Hey, sweetheart." His voice was warm. "I'm glad you decided to join me. Come on up."

Because it was so dark, Aloy negotiated the ladder _very_ carefully, no easy feat with a thick comforter wrapped around her. But she managed, and when she was close to the top, Nil reached down to grab her hand and help her up the rest of the way.

Having never been in a barn loft before, she glanced around curiously. Illuminated by the soft light of a battery operated lantern, the hay loft covered the entire length of the barn while still managing to maintain a cozy feeling. Several piles of straw were spread throughout, a blanket spread out over one with a book beside it.

"Come snuggle with me?" Nil asked softly, taking her hand. 

"Okay," Aloy replied with a slight smile, allowing him to lead her to the bed of hay with the blanket. 

Once they had situated themselves beneath the comforter she had brought with his blanket as a buffer against the pokey hay, they were silent for awhile. It was peaceful out here, with the silvery moonlight filtering in between the gaps in the wood planks and only the regular chirping of bugs breaking the quiet. The atmosphere reminded Aloy a lot of being back on the trail, actually, and how much she wished she had taken better advantage of their time together out there.

"I've never brought anyone up here before," Nil said eventually, his fingers drawing absent-minded patterns on her back.

"Really?" She twisted around in his grasp until she was lying on her belly and able to look up at him. "Just the cornfields?"

"Yeah. This was always a really special place to me," he sighed. "I started coming up here a lot after mom died. To read, to work off my frustration, really just to be alone. Dad always respected it, thankfully."

"I'm glad you could trust me enough to bring me up here then," Aloy murmured.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Of course. I trust you with my life. I wouldn't want to marry you if I didn't."

"When?" she asked hesitantly, after a pause. "Did you want to get married, I mean."

"I was planning on leaving that up to you. I'd like to wait awhile, though, if that's okay with you."

"Getting cold feet?" she teased, but a slight undercurrent of fear managed to squeeze its way into her words.

"I'd wait forever and a day for you, Aloy," Nil said, tilting her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "I want to make sure we're both in a good place beforehand. I want this to work out, to make sure that there's no room for doubt in this relationship. I love you with everything I am, and I can't lose you again."

When Aloy kissed him, it was soft and yielding, and she tried to pour every ounce of her love for him into the action. Nil sighed against her lips, and they moved together, touching and caressing and simply being close to one another. She wasn't certain how they'd function in the real world or with leading separate lives, but she had an inkling that they would be okay. As much as she wanted to rush ahead and into the future, she knew it was better to wait, for her and Nil to be as whole as possible on their own before joining together as a family. It was something to look forward to and would make moving in together and eventually getting married all the sweeter.

Predictably, it was Nil's hands that began to wander. The instant they glided from her lower back to the curve of her backside, Aloy broke their kiss to glower at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"What did I say about sex in a barn?"

"Who said any of this was sexual?" He gave her ass a quick, playful squeeze, and she leveled him with a stern look.

"Fine," Nil pouted, but before he could move his hands up to a more PG spot, Aloy reached back and caught his wrist.

"I did say no. But maybe I changed my mind."

Nil was only able to get in a quiet gasp before she kissed him again, this time with the full force of all of her frustrations from the past day behind it. The moan Nil let out against her lips shot straight to her center, and she shuffled up until she was able to straddle his hips, chasing after even more of that addictive pleasure. Her fiance didn't disappoint. Those hands went right back to her ass, kneading firmly as he began to guide her in a rolling motion over his rapidly hardening cock.

"But we're going to do things _my_ way tonight," Aloy hissed, giving his lower lip a hard bite. "Okay?"

The strangled cry Nil gave and the wild way he bucked beneath her was answer enough. Not wanting to waste anymore time, in light of how the day had essentially been one drawn-out foreplay session, she slid her hands underneath the thin fabric of his sleeping shirt. Although he had lost a large amount of mass from the AT, his belly was still packed with muscle, and it still felt just as good beneath her fingertips as it had at the beginning. Aloy allowed her palms to wander the broad expanse of his torso, skimming over his nipples a few times in a taunting way that had him straining against her uselessly. 

With every passing minute they were still clothed, her frustration mounted. His shirt was the first to go, and then she ripped hers off just as quickly. The chilled fall air breezed over her skin, pearling her nipples instantly, and she shuddered at the sensation.

"Fuck, I swear you get more gorgeous everytime I see you like this," Nil groaned, reaching out to touch her. But Aloy only shoved his hands away, ignoring his whine of protest. 

"Ah ah," she tutted, scooting off of him. "What did I say?"

"Aloy..."

Her pajama pants were pulled off next, along with her panties, Nil's silver gaze hungrily following every one of her movements. She took a moment to preen - Aloy loved the way his eyes raked over her as though she were water and he was a man dying of thirst. It made her feel wanted and desirable, something she still wasn't entirely accustomed to despite months of being with him. 

Curling her hands over his calves, Aloy tugged until he got the idea and shimmied down. Without further ado, she climbed back up him, made sure she was positioned correctly in the right spot, and promptly sat on his face.

Nil, not missing a single beat despite the abruptness of her actions, got to work immediately. At the first long pass of his tongue, she jolted on top of him, a low moan escaping her. Her fiance's mouth wasn't just good for talking - he also excelled in using it to bring her so much pleasure that she couldn't speak and could barely think beyond grinding down on him to find the best angle and source of friction. He caressed her folds in practiced motions, always alternating, never lingering too long in a spot and risking it becoming less stimulating. The tip of his tongue would dip into and tease the edges of her tight hole, then drag up to focus on her aching clit, never lapping at it from the same exact angle. This position made her feel totally in control, it made her feel powerful, and this only pushed her even higher.

As gone as her mind was, Aloy made sure to lift herself off of him every so often so that he could take a breath, then settle right back down on him. She wasn't sure if he actually needed this courtesy, because his enthusiasm never waned once. Nil's movements only grew more vigorous, more focused as time went on, until she was so close and so much liquid ecstasy was pumping through her veins she could do nothing beyond rock and grind into his face with abandon. Her hands dropped to grab the sides of his head for more leverage, and he took that moment to move the majority of his focus back to her clit. His lips got involved this time too, sucking at her as though he was ravenous, and the slight prickle of his facial hair was only more sensation to spur her onward.

It was too much; Aloy couldn't last under such a perfect assault. Her oncoming release swelled and swelled within her, until one perfectly timed lathe of Nil's tongue while she jerked against him sent her careening over the edge with a high-pitched cry she only just barely remembered to muffle with her hand. With as much build up as she had experienced throughout the day, her orgasm was earth-shattering in its intensity. It froze her in time before sending violent shudders throughout her entire body, until, by the end, she could barely hold herself up anymore.

"C'mere, sweetheart," Nil gasped after lifting her hips from his face. 

She slid back down the length of his body, waited for him to wipe his face, then covered his mouth with her own again, the taste of her on his lips pulling a needy groan from her. Aloy was most definitely not finished yet - after all, there was more tension coiled within her than just one orgasm could loosen.

And Nil needed attending to, as well. When her hand trailed down over his sleeping pants, she found his cock thick and grown to what she knew was its limits.

"Oh, you liked that, did you?" Aloy whispered, her lips splitting against his in a self-satisfied grin as she ground the heel of her palm into his shaft.

"Fuck yes," Nil moaned. "I'll do whatever you want, just _please_ fuck me."

"What is it that you always say to me?" Aloy hummed. "Ah, yes. _Patience_."

Nil muttered a curse under his breath, which turned into a needy cry when she squeezed him through his pants without warning. 

"It's good for you I don't feel like being very patient right now."

The rest of his clothing was quickly discarded, baring his length to her eyes - painfully swollen and weeping a mess of pre-come at the tip - and in the space of the next heartbeat she was on top of him again, but hovering over his cock rather than his face this time.

The euphoria that spread through Aloy as she sank down onto him was unreal. _Finally_ she was getting what she had craved all day - Nil's cock throbbing and snug in her pussy, so wet already that his entrance was entirely unhindered. Her movements as she began to fuck him were wonderfully smooth, even in their roughness, and the way Nil was twisting and moaning underneath her as though he had never felt anything so amazing in his life was one of the most attractive sights she had ever seen.

"God, you feel fucking _fantastic_ ," he panted. "I'm not going to last long - "

He was cut off by Aloy shoving two of her fingers in his opened mouth and leaning forward to leer over him.

"You're going to last exactly as long as it takes for me to come."

At her words and the new intrusion in his mouth, Nil's eyes rolled back in bliss. While she worked those fingers, pumping them along with the rolling of her hips, he sucked at them greedily, keeping his narrowed gaze trained on her the entire time. Aloy didn't know that fingers, of all things, could be so sensitive, but between his talented mouth and the way he was practically fucking her with his eyes as much as his cock, she was being worked up near the point of overstimulation. In the face of what was growing inside of her core, her first release now seemed like nothing more than a mild tickling sensation.

When Nil reached up to cup her breasts this time, Aloy didn't stop him. She curved into his touch, allowed him to worship her with both hands and tongue, reveled in the hard pinches and tugs he gave her nipples. The pleasure-pain was exactly what she wanted, what she _needed_ right now, and in return she yanked her hand from his mouth so she could rake her fingernails down his chest, down the sensitive plane of his stomach, ending precariously close to where they were joined. The stuttering cry her fiance gave to this, the flush of his cheeks, the jerkiness of his movements - all of these things told her that he was close, and it was fortunate that she was too. She could tell he was holding back just for her, hanging on until that moment she shattered like a punched-through mirror on top of him.

The sight of those angry red marks welling up on his skin in the wake of her nails did something to her, satiated some dark, possessive part of her that Aloy would never give voice or action to in moments other than this. They screamed ownership, that he was hers, that she was his, no matter how long they needed to be apart, and this notion was what ultimately tipped the scales for her. It was a good thing too, because the second before she fell apart, Nil's cock swelled and began to pulse inside of her, her attentions and movements apparently too much for him to handle anymore. Everything was too much, too intense, so she collapsed on his chest and clung to his shoulders while she rode out all of the spasms and seizing, and he held on to her so tightly it almost hurt, his keening mantra of her name sweeter than any music.

By the time they had both managed to get ahold of themselves again, after many languid kisses and soft caresses, Aloy was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open anymore. It had been late when she had come out here initially, and now it was later still. Something told her she'd be able to sleep soundly now, and she barely felt Nil slip out of her before she eased into a wonderfully deep, dreamless sleep.

When she woke up next, soft beams of morning sunlight were drifting lazily into the barn, and she could hear muffled voices. Aloy was curiously warm for being in an unheated building, but a quick look around revealed why: a space heater hummed nearby, connected to an extension cord which disappeared down the ladder, and somehow her clothes had gotten back on her. A smile lit on her face when she realized Nil had been responsible for all of this, and that he was also probably the source of one of the voices coming from downstairs.

Sitting up, she crept to the ladder, then peered over. Ligan and Nil were speaking quietly, the former sitting on an old riding mower and the latter leaning against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"...fell asleep out here and didn't want to move her."

"Your mother spent a lot of time in the loft while she was pregnant with you," Ligan remarked.

"I guess I've always liked being up there, huh?"

"Must have. She said that on nights where she couldn't sleep because you were too active, she would come out here and read, and it was the only thing that calmed you down. Years later, you started doing the same. You're a lot like her, you know."

Nil's voice was slightly strangled when he said, "I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry, dad. About mom, about enlisting, about being too afraid to face you afterwards."

"I'm just glad you found your way home, son," Ligan said softly. "And with such a lovely young woman, too."

"Aloy is..." She heard him take a harsh breath, and her heart clenched. "She's done so much for me. Saved my life, and I don't just mean what happened up in Maine. She's there for me, doesn't put up with my bullshit, and I can't believe I almost fu - messed everything up with her. It's not something I thought I'd ever have, but...I love her."

"Well, I'd hope so if you're going to be marrying her," the older man said wryly. "So when should I expect grandkids?"

Nil laughed, clear and strong. "The consensus seems to be not for awhile, old man. And it appears that my lovely fiancee is awake and has been spying on us, so maybe you could ask her yourself."

His eyes trailed up to her, and Aloy's face grew so hot she felt as though it was only seconds from bursting into flames.

"Uh, hi," she squeaked.

Ligan looked amused, at least.

"Come on down, sweetheart," Nil grinned. "Dad was talking about starting breakfast before we leave for the airport."

She followed them both back into the house, where Ligan immediately began to work on pancakes and sausage. Meanwhile, her and Nil repacked their overnight bag. When they had finished, Aloy settled down next to him on the bed, drawing her legs up to her chest with a contemplative frown.

"We never did get to go to Gildun's antique shop. Kind of bummed about that."

"This won't be the last of visits, little huntress," he said. "I promise we'll go check it out next time."

"About that," she broached, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Good visit?"

His arm draped over her shoulders. "Yeah. It had its bumps, but...it felt good to put this all to rest. And to have a real relationship with my old man again? I don't know if I thought that was ever even possible."

"I'm glad," she said softly. "You really deserve it."

"Now it's your turn." Irritated, Aloy lifted her head to shoot him a glare, but it faltered when she realized that Nil was smiling encouragingly. "Hey, if I managed to salvage me and my dad's relationship after eight years of radio silence, I think you can do the same with Rost. And you know I'll be there right by your side the entire time, sweetheart. You're not alone."

The warmth which spread through her chest soothed away most of her apprehensions and worries. Her fiance was right - for the first time, she didn't have to face any of the stressors of real life by herself. The notion alone gave her the emotional strength she'd craved all of her life, and as Aloy wrapped her arms around his thick waist, she realized she wasn't scared of what was to come with Rost anymore, no matter the outcome. Either way, Nil would be there to support her unconditionally. Going home was now something to look forward to rather than dread.

With a faint smile, she recalled something Nil had said months ago, when they had been sitting together on a tile floor in a hotel room and she hadn't yet found her way.

_"Given enough time, I think we could conquer every trail on earth together."_

She understood now that those words didn't go far enough. It wasn't just trails they could conquer together - it was _everything._

So, with new energy, she unwound herself from him and sprang to her feet. Grinning, Aloy offered Nil her hand. 

It was time to go home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're done! I hope you enjoyed this little short story. 😊 I'm gonna miss this Niloy like, a lot. Maybe one day I'll post some stuff from my enormous Peregrinations drabble doc!
> 
> Up next: All Things Grow, that arranged marriage AU, is coming very soon. Give it a week or two and I'll be ready to post!! 
> 
> Until then, thanks as always for reading, and I hope yinz have a good rest of the year!

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be posting two more chapters of this over the next two weeks while I get ahead on that arranged marriage AU. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy more of Nil's backstory and some fun fluff!


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